Advancing Brain Cancer Research

Brain Canada and Cancer Research Society (CRS) are advancing brain cancer research through collaborative innovation and translational impact

As part of their ongoing commitment to accelerating progress in brain cancer research, Brain Canada and the Cancer Research Society (CRS) are jointly funding two exceptional research teams as part of the 2025 Translational Research Grants in Brain Cancer program.

Led by Dr. Robert Vanner from University Health Network and Dr. Sheila Singh from the Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research (CDCR) at McMaster University, the teams will each receive an award of $1,000,000 over three years to advance promising research with a clear trajectory toward clinical application.

Brain cancer remains one of the most challenging areas of medical research, with limited therapeutic options and poor patient outcomes. This program is designed to support high-impact projects that advance effective translation and application knowledge, while spanning the continuum of pre-clinical, clinical and health services research, ultimately giving hope to individuals affected by brain tumours.

The 2025 Translational Research Grants in Brain Canada foster meaningful collaboration between basic researchers and clinicians to translate research into novel approaches for studying, diagnosing and/or treating both pediatric and adult brain cancer.

Support for these projects is made possible by the Canada Brain Research Fund, an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada, through Health Canada, and Brain Canada, and the Cancer Research Society.

About the projects

Defining and targeting clonal hematopoiesis as a driver of glioblastoma growth: Robert Vanner, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre at University Health Network, Temerty Faculty of Medicine at University of Toronto

Team co-Investigators: Michael Rauh (Queen’s University), Peter Dirks (The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto), Jennifer Chan and Sorana Morrissy (University of Calgary), Federico Gaiti (University Health Network, University of Toronto)

GPNMB CAR-T Cells as a Multi-Pronged Immunotherapeutic Approach for Glioblastoma: Sheila Singh, Centre for Discovery in Cancer Research (CDCR) at McMaster University

Team co-Investigators: Federico Gaiti (University Health Network, University of Toronto), Jason Moffat (The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto)